Black Whole
by TikTokTibenoch
Summary: Staring up at the vertical sky, confusion reflected in his golden eyes. What approached above him did not forebode rain. Then, he knew. Compared to this, even the rain would be inviting.  ShiroxIchigo, yaoi. Rated for language R&R appreciated! CH.3 UPDATE
1. Storm is Coming

Yep - here I am again. Those who reviewed my oneshot inspired me, and so, this is MY response-- an unoffical sequel (with chapters and PLOT--gasp!) to "An Obvious Truth"! Disclaimers? Honor thy Tite Kubo. xD

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Darkness curled in the distance, curtaining the void of concrete, iron and reflective glass, tainting the world below with the stains of mahogany, navy and twilight. Any light bright enough to shine into the most dense pieces of this iron, horizontal jungle vanished without a trace, leaving behind a ghostly wind, wisping between the skyscrapers like the shallow breath of a demon. Amongst the darkness which had overtaken lay a flicker of color, a single, lone star of ivory amongst nothing else.

Staring ahead at an adjacent tower, he'd watched the darkness roll in, if not rather quickly. Confusion plastered against his expression, he sat up, staring at the decaying skies of faint blue. For once, no humidity struck him, not even the slight brush of moisture. No visions of a monsoon to come, and, even though he far from enjoyed it, not a single glimmer of the rain. At this point of such horrific looking clouds, even the rain would be inviting. Instead, though, an unusual arid heat crawled across the stone and glass underneath him.

Usually, he'd ignore what the weather threatened, or better yet, try to fix it himself since he knew well what the changes of skies meant. However, the gleam of confusion reflected in the golden glow of his irises made it apparent that he couldnt be sure his aibou had anything to do with this estranged change of weather. Rather then rain, a clasp of brightness and a jagged thread of light flashed in the distance. He jumped, despite himself. Clamboring to his feet, he made haste... and leapt away from the approaching storm, if he could even classify it as one. Hopping from one broadside bulding to another, his mind raced.

_What the hell is goin' on?! _He turned his head briefly to look over his shoulder. The storming clouds seemed to be stationary for the moment and he pivoted in mid air, feet skidding his body, in reverse, to a halt on the nearest platform.

_...Aibou... The hell is happenin' to you?!_ Casting his gaze to the still blue skies to his left, eyes narrowing, _I'll figure it out fer myself if I have to. _Taking a deep breath, he lightly hopped off the edge of the cobalt surface, letting his body fall in whichever direction the gravity of his world decided to pull him.

It didnt matter really, he'd wake up somewhere else anyway.

A grunt bounced hollowly off the walls of the quaint, rather plain bedroom as a weight flopped onto a bed below a slightly ajar window. A head of the brightest form of orange absently burrowed into the waiting pillow, the teenager sighing heavily as he curled up upon the sheets, amber eyes shutting the world away as a strange form of sleepiness overtook him. Not even bothering with dressing down for bed, he instead rested with complete comfort in the clothes he'd worn that day. A breeze escaped the winds outside to invade his bedroom, the only light to accompany it in the form of starlight and the waxing moon above the darkened city streets. Since a couple days prior, he'd never felt so much at ease. Really, he had Shiro to thank for it. He hadnt killed him after all... and he even felt free to love his hollow and not give a damn about what anyone else might say about it. The defiant thought made him smile slightly in the fog of sleepiness which began to envelope him.

That is, until a rather urgent, tri-fold voice pierced through the thick fog.

"Aibou! Aibou! Ugh, _King_, dammit, wake the hell up!"

Ichigo cracked an eye open warily, the gaze widening upon realizing it was the subject of his thoughts crouching over him on the twin bed. The expression of slight frantic worry, however, struck him as new. Sitting up slowly to avoid colliding with his ivory counterpart's head, he looked to him in a deep set of concern and confusion, "Shiro? What is it?"

Shiro sighed heavily with relief, seeing his Aibou didnt seem to be suffering from anything aside from pure exhaustion, likely from low level hollow-hunting earlier in the day. Regardless, though, his expression sank into hardened concern, like a doctor would have for a troublesome patient. "Nothin' I guess- Ichigo... you feelin' alright?" he frowned, feeling almost sheepish for panicking over his partner's well-being so soon. Nothing did seem to be wrong. And Ichigo reflected that exact thought as he raised an eyebrow at his hollow.

"I'm fine, Shiro. Unusual for you to ask," he noted with a hint of amusement, "What? Worried about me?"

At hearing such an accusation, a slight shade of pink appeared across the bridge of Shiro's nose and in attempt to hide it, buried his face into the crook of his elbow as he leaned against his drawn up knees. Glaring to the side in frustration, he merely muttered a very unconvincing, "Nnno. Just... shut up."

A smile, bright beyond compare, grew across Ichigo's tanned lips at watching Shiro become so easily embarrassed over a simple comment. Reaching out, he looped his fingers underneath his lover's sheltering elbow and pulled him out of the shell he always hid behind whenever that bright red color appeared over his features, into his arms. Seeing the wide-eyed expression of flustered shock, similar to that of a startled kitten, staring up at him, his smile broadened, "God, Shiro. How can you be god damn adorable so often?" Before the ivory being could begin to muster an argumentive response, Ichigo swooped down, kissing _his_ hollow lovingly.

"Che," Shiro's glowing gaze once again took refuge in staring at a far corner on the opposite side of the room for a moment while the heat in his cheeks slowly died down. Ignoring the radiating smile from his lover's lips (as best as he could manage), he held his breath quitely, drawing out the time until his proper albino color, however the contradiction, returned to his face. Warily, if not shyly, shifting his line of vision to stare up at Ichigo's still confused expression, he frowned a bit, "Na, Ichigo... you really do feel alright? I mean it."

The grin faded into a reassuring smile and Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment, nodding slowly after as a minute passed in silence. Amber orbs, shining with warming gentleness locked their gaze with the opposing, still worryful gold.

"I am Shiro," the Shinigami's rounded, yet silky voice answered back with soft honesty, "I have you, after all. I mean, c'mon."

Barely a smirk tweaked the edges of Shiro's snowy lips, happy to know his King, his Aibou really was alright. Relief tried to center itself steady in his mind, yet the foreboding image of those demonic clouds pulled at the edges. No matter how he tried, something didnt settle right. And Ichigo could tell as the question hit the chill air:

"Why? What is it, Shiro?"

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A/N: Why, indeed? x) If ya want more, then give me a reason to continue! Motivation always helps. Until then, cliffhanger for you! Hope ya enjoyed.


	2. The Obvious Truth

"Why? What is it, Shiro?"

Shiro glanced away, thoughtful about how to phrase the vision still looming ominously over his mind. Shifting in his orange-top's lap, he idly nuzzled the tanner boy's stomach, expression letting go the obvious fact he was lost in thought. Even though no sound existed in the shadowed bedroom, not even the common, nasally snores of Kon, an orchestra of questions, phrases and even words played relentlessly in the rattled hollow's head.

_A coming sickness? Bottled up emotions--che, he hides anythin' from me, I'll kick his ass. A dream? ...a fucked up dream? _Unfortunately, any plausible ideas quickly deteriorated in the natural need to tease his colorful counterpart. _... A stomach ache, gas, an irritated bowl movement!! Sexual frustration? Che--! Shut up, this is serious!! ...Later. _He grumbled irritably at his usual one-track mind, shaking the crossword puzzle of ideas out into the far reaches of his consious thought.

"Shiro!"

Shiro jolted back to reality, eyes wide with slight surprise and he absently grabbed for Ichigo's hand, which welcomingly grasped his in turn. Unable to find a rightful explanation for it, the albino muttered a simple, "Sorry," in return. The response called for some form of alarm in Ichigo, who slid an arm behind Shiro's shoulders and lifted him higher up into his arms. And the hollow leaned his head into Ichigo's nape thankfully before he continued with his attempt to explain what he'd seen. "I dunno... really... but somethin's off...in ya..."

Ichigo, whose look of confusion faded quickly to troubled concern, nodded as he listened.

And Shiro tried again, to explain it without dropping off into confused, tongue-tied awkawrdness. "I mean... ya... yer fine on the outside... but somethin' strange is... appearin'... somewhere?" he blinked absently as the explanation he had thoroughly planted in his mind suddenly found itself yanked from its soil. _Why the hell is this so goddamn hard to say?_ _I know what I'm talkin' about! So... why cant I jus' say it?_

An even deeper form of worry grew over Ichigo's expression at seeing his ivory partner so lost inside his own head. He could only note from past experience: Shiro never came with an empty bag of words or snappy comebacks. _This is so... bizaare. _The Shinigami silently murmured to himself. The broken explanation found its place on the edge of a staggering downfall into clueless defeat within the boy's mind. Sunk in, but little to no understanding, which both befuddled and frightened him.

"I..." Ichigo sighed, overwhelmed suddenly with guilt as his head bowed in the deepest form of apology, "I dont understand - I'm sorry, Shiro."

A sharp pain thrust through Shiro's chest at hearing those words, the ideas and attempts to explain the troublesome event completely dying away at once. A once glowing golden gaze dimmed into a sad, self-loathing type of submission, cross with anger. His cheek slid down, burying itself underneath the Shinigami's chin, a small whimper shattering the calm silence of the night. Swallowing away the need to punch himself for failing so terribly, Shiro meekly gave in, leaving all worry and regret within the ever ageing hands of hope.

"D-Don't worry 'bout it, Ichigo... Jus'... Nevermind."

Nothing could compare to the extreme weights of guilt building upon Ichigo's consience as he helplessly watched his lover give up entirely. _All because you cant understand, dammit!!_ he slapped himself inwardly, on the outside the grip around his partner's slim body tightened. Head bowed against Shiro's, he placed a gentle kiss upon pure white hair. "I'm sorry, Shiro. I'm sorry I'm such an idiot. I should be able to-"

"Shut up, Ichigo!" the harshness of the words silenced the teen almost instantly and Shiro haplessly shook his head, a free hand snatching a handful of the colorful boy's shirt, "Dont you fuckin' dare blame yourself! Ya jus' started feelin' better-- don't make it rain again-- I cant stand it when it rains!"

Afraid to speak at first, a silent chain of words finally escaped the other boy's lips, "I'm... sorry, Shiro. I wont let it rain again, okay?" he asked, hope clasping onto every syllable spoken as courage climbed its way up into Ichigo's throat, forming a new type of resolve.

"I... I love you."

Warmth found its place in Shiro's chest as he allowed the words to float freely into the air and he couldnt help the small smile it invited. Tugging lightly on the red fabric of his King's shirt, he buried his pinking face into the teen's chest, nuzzling him affectionately. Why hide the obvious truth, indeed? It wasnt as though the feeling hadnt been mutual from the start.

"Yea? ...Well, I love ya, too."

Through the night, the two slept comfortablly in each other's arms, warmed by one another's beating hearts and affectionate nuzzles. They had unknowingly drifted into slumber after a well-played round of teasing one another and making up for the fact that niether could come to terms with the mysterious _something_ Shiro had tried to describe. Even though still ridden with guilt, the hollow simply waived it off, irritably growling over and over for the vexed orange-top to forget about it. Eventually, Ichigo had succeeded in forcing the worry which plagued his every waking nerve into the back of his mind. To what he knew would be his counterpart's dismay, however, he could not forget about it entirely.

Not even in his dreams.

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Mmm-hm! You saw it! Another cliff-hanger! Bwahaha-- coughs Ugh. Okay, sorry if posting up future chapters comes in strange intervals and spurts... I am officialy sick right now, and my head wants to murder my eyes. . Not only that, my first day of college is tomorrow-- FUN:D What a way to start the year... _again_. -.-'' So, everyone, keep me on my toes! Dont let me fall behind or I will peronsally beat myself down with my almighty Shoehorn of Doom. In any case, love to hear from those who read! Thank you, enjoy, and until next time, faithful readers! x)


	3. Of Joy that Kills

Unstable clouds of black and crimson whipped throughout what would have been blue skies, bursts of white light streaking between towers and bowing the tinted windows to a threatening depth behind their sills. The ungodly sound of warping metal resonated from every street corner and rooftop-- it took sheer force of will to keep himself from taking refuge behind the muting walls of his hands. In every direction, the city screamed, dismal, dark, and shifting from the storm's magnitude of beast-like winds. The very sight created the definition of the word terrifying. Turning his head up, only the miles of space between sky and solid, cold concrete floated into view, only to be blinded by a strong thrash of wind, which seemed to growl at his very presence. He ignored the raging gusts, instead forcing those amber irises into darting from one direction to the other, behind him, above the now shaded cherry colors of his head. Where the storm greatly disturbed him, something else frightened him more...

Shiro was nowhere in sight.

A newfound feeling of weakness shot through ivory limbs, the rudely half-awakened body barely registering the perilous surroundings. By experience, he knew within a handful of seconds of pushing himself away from the charcole slate of a window, he'd woken up completely upside-down. Mind as clouded as the malestrom stretching for eternity on either side of his vision, a strange heaviness battled with his balance. Forcing a knee underneath his straining torso, he thankfully found an efficiant way to keep himself as upright and alert as possible, however poor the formation. Flickering gold darted about the scene around, ignoring the shift in gravity and the numbness of protest from his supporting leg. Something felt off. Aside from all the changes of weather, pressure and color within his inner living space, some new presented itself... and its reiatsu felt unpleasantly familiar. The winds invited a very ominous hiss.

_"So... there you are..."_

The words triggered a hastey pivot, a tensed, threatening growl erupting from his throat and from common practice reached a free hand to his shoulder, where normally his inverted Zanpaku'to waited impatiantly to be gripped. Clutching only empty air, his eyes widened in dismal shock.

_Shit-- today's been anythin' but normal!!_

If he could have seen the bright, jagged shot of reiatsu coming from behind a quarter of a moment sooner, he would have blocked it without a second thought. If the sharp, stabbing pain didnt leak into every nerve of his being, there was no doubt in his mind he would've returned the favor ten-fold. If he couldve taken the chance to avoid the crimson rain which fell from his craning chest, especially if he knew it meant never seeing Ichigo afterward, he never wouldve gotten out of his Aibou's bed that morning.

Wisps of a blackened, twisted reiatsu caught underneath his airborn form. He felt his body being suspended, and the fact someone other then Ichigo now hovered barely inches overhead. The very feel of the being's musty, stagnant breath against his albino cheek begged his claws to tear out the tongue which hung delicately out of Its thin, widened lips. To his utter dismay, no such empowerment came. If anything, the very impulse itself seemed to back into the corner of cowardice somewhere deep within the cataclysoms of his mind. _You little shit. _Curses barely escaped into the air. Orbs of scarlet locked with oceans of molten gold, Shiro hissed underneath his breath, "What the fuck do you want?! What're ya doin' screwin' with my Aibou's soul?!"

A grin, gleaming with rows of saliva-coated razors, seemed to spread from one unseen ear to the other upon the inturder's face, its narrowed gaze wild and hungered, _"I can answer __**both**__ of those questions for you!!"_ It's cheerful tone jumpy with manical laughter. Catching a strange, smooth tone of calm hatred behind the shrieking echo of insanity, Shiro could've sworn he'd heard the voice somewhere before.

The very screech of its jiggling throat caused a cascade of chills to run down the ivory being's spine. Feeling something spindely pricking circles into his wrists, torso, collar, and legs, he forced his chin towards his chest, pressing hard against the tiny jolts of pain. Only upon this second scrutinizing gaze did the thin curls of smoke encircling his body warp into the pulsing muscles of what looked like tenticaled fingers. The only indication of such a screwed up ligament was the fact that he could barely catch the dull gleam of claw-like nails warpped somewhere in the matted mess covering his body, the skin of those fingers rippling with a maggot-esque squirm. Each digit curled tightly about every protruding snowy limb and only after struggling futilely against iron grips then did the agonizing truth dawn on the helpless albino: he could no longer breathe.

_"What I want is something much more precious then this host-body could ever be..." _It chittered gaily, bloody tongue lapping at the nervous sweat retreating down the hollow's cheek, seeming to relish the taste, _"I want __**you**__."_

Under the illumination of another crack of lightening, the monster's deranged bone-white face flickered into Shiro's view. He wheezed a desperate, shocked gasp at the jagged, scarlet marks vertically spreading across its faceless expression:

A Hollow mask.

"Shiro!! Shirooo!!" Ichigo's voice faded within feet of his shout. The tapestries of black hung close, lightening clasped in arcs spanning building-sides. The orange-topped Shinigami had leapt from building to skyscraper to the occasional rambler, and still, nothing. No sign of any life but his own and the quaking storm surrounding him. Beforehand, he'd been nervous, after no initial sign of his other half (in every sense), worry quickly set in. Now, he was terrified.

Whipping his vision in every direction he could possibly manage, Ichigo scoured the plains of his inner soul, and yet nothing came to his sight. Only the endless clouds of black. Images began to repeat themselves and for a moment, he could've sworn the sound of shattering glass echoed from below his feet.

Then it hit him.

"Aaaauugh!" a tremor of pain crawled through his back--the feeling almost reminiscent to being impaled by a sword hot from a blacksmith's fire and he couldnt keep himself from doubling over in mid-flight. Subsiquently, his own power wavered with the strange, unknown pain clawing at his spine. He quickly found himself falling, watching almost half-aware of the window panes and grey fogs rushing past his body. What didnt make sense to him came in the thought of a simple question. "Why...?"

Letting his eyes slip shut, if only for a moment, the images surrounding him fled from view, allowing only pure darkness passage. A malestrom thrashed inside his body; a single thought repeating itself, brokenly in his mind, _Shiro...where have you gone? Why cant I find you? Where are you? Where are you? _The wish bore heavily into his chest, clashing painfully with the invisible wound within him. As much as he tried, the further his body plunged through the abstract city, the pain, the fear only grew. A faint sense of panic other then his own flashed through over his racing heart and in an instant, the chaotic world around him returned with endless fury. Like a slap in the face, his eyes widened, all the pain and fear sank, then regurgitated as a twisted mix of terror, rage, and despair, mouth agape as a gateway to allow his shallow breath exit. Directly ahead of him stand what he both wished and dreaded seeing.

Across a building flat, upside-down and shadowed, an indescribingly disturbing sight presented itself to his frozen body: his partner completely disabled of movement by the... hands of what he could easily note as the most warped hollow yet. Not quite an Arrancer, but far from any run-of-the-mill hollow. He could hear Shiro's breath hitching, wheezing, whimpering for air.

Ichigo's feet twitched, begging him to shunpo forward, hands aching to slash the thing to pieces, and hold his lover close, to save him from danger, but his body could not escape the decrepit hands of fear as they reached out from the night shade and took hold of his ankles, his wrists, and his throat. Ichigo's body had petrified before he could blink - and he couldnt have hated himself more for it.

The blindess of fright dissapated when his amber gaze locked with the weak, dulling gold from meters away.

"I...Ichi...go...!"

The orange-top gasped, shock washing over him, reawakening his nerves and breaking the grips that threatened his resolve. Zangetsu at his side in an instant, Ichigo leapt forward, mind intent on destroying this thing that had threatened his heart, and invaded his very soul.

"SHIRO!!!"

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Im sorry I had to make another cliffy - this one wasnt intentional, but I'm not about to fall behind on this story! So, I hope you enjoyed, feedback always helps, and I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Thanks for baring with me!


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